US press: Debate was a tie
2004-10-01 13:17
Washington - Both President George W Bush and his Democratic rival John Kerry forcefully defended their positions on Iraq, and their first televised debate was enough of a tie to entice voters on to their next encounter, leading United States dailies agreed on Friday.
"If Americans who tuned into last night's presidential debate were waiting for one of the candidates to catch the other in a fatal error, or leave him stammering, the event was obviously a draw," wrote The New York Times.
The daily, however, gave Kerry points for looking presidential, keeping Bush on the defensive, arguing that Iraq had nothing to do with the war on terror and that Bush rushed into the war without an exit strategy.
"It is the strongest and most sensible critique of the administration's actions," the Times said, adding that Kerry had also "found an effective answer" to his dubious vote for $87-billion in war appropriations by comparing his mistake to Bush's mistake in going to war.
Kerry won Thursday night
USA Today leaves the verdict on the first presidential debate "up to every viewer," adding that both candidates for the November 2 election had left voters with much to ponder - "each impressively arguing his case."
"In shorthand, the choice is this: A president who will act independently and quickly, even at the risk of alienating allies or making a grievous mistake. Or one who will proceed more deliberately in concert with allies, potentially at the price of missing a crucial opportunity," said the nationally-distributed daily.
The Los Angeles Times presented its readers with what it believes is the real conundrum: "Kerry won Thursday night's debate on foreign policy by a comfortable margin, but Americans may yet decide that President Bush is better able to clean up the mess he created in Iraq."
Kerry "delivered a powerful indictment of Bush's foreign policy record" but now faces "the inescapable quandary... that it cannot offer a clear alternative for what needs to happen in Iraq going forward."
While a majority of Americans feel the Iraq war was not worth fighting, said the daily citing recent polls, "more people trusted Bush over Kerry to develop a plan for succeeding there.
No magic wand
"Kerry doesn't have a magic wand to undo Bush's mistakes, and it must be frustrating to him that many voters feel as if they are stuck with the incumbent," added the Los Angeles Times editorial.
Bush, on the other hand, was "skillful and relentless in underlining these 'mixed messages' and in outlining his goal that success in Iraq and on other fronts is equally vital to US security."
However, the Post added, "Bush's clarity in defining goals was not matched with candour about conditions on the ground in Iraq," and Kerry was effective in stressing how the nuclear threat from North Korea and Iran has increased under Bush's watch.